International Criminal Justice

Justice is key element in the fight against torture. It is necessary that the perpetrators are convicted and that victims are rehabilitated and receive compensation for their prejudice. Fight impunity for serious crimes also facilitate the prevention of such crimes.
However, in many countries, impunity prevails. The reasons are many: judiciary is not independent from those in power, widespread corruption, lack of resources and of political will...

The UN Convention against Torture establishes a universal jurisdiction mechanism for the crime of torture. If an alleged culprit of torture is arrested on in a State Party to the Convention, the State’s has to extradite that person or to try him for his acts.

In case of impossibility or unwillingness from a state to judge an individual convicted for most serious crimes, the international community has created an International Criminal Court to prosecute serious crimes such as genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Under the Rome Statute establishing the Court, torture may constitute a war crime or a crime against humanity.